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Along with the first order offer - 15% discount (with the code "get15off"), you save extra 10% since we provide 300 words/page instead of 275 words/pageBackground of the CDF
First of all, in the scopes of this paper it is important to rely to the background of the Children’s Defense Fund. It is the US child advocacy and the research group, which has been established in 1973 by Marian Wright Edelman. The motto of this organization is the following: Leave No Child Behind. The mission of the organization is reflected in its motto. The private donations are the core supportive force of the organization.
It is important to put an emphasis on the fact that it is the non-profit advocacy organization. The core purpose of its work is ensuring the level playing field for the children. It collaborates with the communities, individuals and with the policy makers for the public policy enacting, funding and practical implementation. It also promotes the programs, directed on the support of the children in terms of poverty reduction and to protect the young generation from the neglect and abuse. Also, the area of the CDF activity covers the process of ensuring the equal access to the education and health care services (Children’s Defense Fund official web site 1).
Managing CDF-Motivation Theories Used by Its Top Management
In the humanistic theory of motivation, people consider that they have cognitive reasons for the various actions they do. Such concept is presented in the Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. While discussing the core motivating factors applied in CDF, in the light of Maslows hierarchy of needs, it is important to consider the services that are provided within the system. It is obvious that there is a set of opportunities of self-development, getting knowledge and their application in the professional activities of CDF workers. Generally, a career path of each person should meet his or her requirements and bring satisfaction, and, of course, bring the highest results to society and to the person. A successful employee is the one who is on his/her place (Quinn 156).
Consequently, it is important to represent the analysis of the CDF organisations employees career motivation while taking into account the Maslows hierarchy of needs and opportunities provided to employees of a particular industry.
First of all, the work in this industry provides people with the opportunity for self-realization and development and there are future perspectives of career growth. The work in the sphere of human relations belongs to the field of work called human-human. It is considered to be one of the most complicated and unpredictable spheres of professional activities and it requires knowledge of psychology, competence in the medicine, law, awareness of educational system work, and ability to understand the needs and interests of children (Lussier & Achua 212).
Since the professional activity of the CDF is related to the communications, the employees are provided with the possibility to work in accordance with ones own initiative and to be given a certain amount of responsibility. Therefore, it is possible to make a conclusion that the possibility of self-realization and self-actualization is a core motivating factor for the CDF employees. According to the Maslows hierarchy of needs, the effectiveness of the work and the contribution of a particular leader may be evaluated by the rate of employees self realization (Leithwood 194).
Evaluation of the CDF Performance by the Governing Board
It is possible to define the balanced scorecard (BSC) as a strategy in performance management. It is a structured report of semi-standards, which is mainly assisted by the automation tools and design methods. Managers of CDF apply this method to monitor the execution of activities (O’Brien 56).
In addition, in order to carry out the performance evaluation, the business intelligence (BI) system is applied by the governing board. BI includes all possible methods, concepts, tools, and possibilities of business improvement based on support systems. Nowadays, the BI is the computer based and operated system of the problem definition, business information collecting, treatment and decision making assistance, and for organizational performance management: selecting several possible variants for a particular problem and finally, making the predictive analysis of these decisions.
In order to make an objective evaluation of the influence of the balanced scorecard BSC on CDF, it is important to carry out the investigation of this impact on all three levels of the CDF management system (White and Griffith 46).
On the strategic level, all processes of the information investigation, its treatment, and correct decision making are possible in case of having good business intelligence software and a skillfully organized informational system. That is why it is important to be responsible for all actions, which take place in the decision making process.
On the tactical level, it is very important to pay attention to the legislative basis changing, to take in account the entire set of paperwork, and to organize the control over the execution of agreements.
On the operational level, a well-organized informational system will assist a manager in all key aspects of the CDF work. It enables the manager to monitor the main processes from the personal computer or have a personal access to the online system from every NAP (Deams 119).
Financial Decision-making Process Within the CDF
The key function of managers in CDF is making decisions aimed at problem solving. It implies evaluating of problems and situations, developing alternatives, making choices, following the developed strategy of the problem solving and its managing (White and Griffith 67).
When it comes to accounting and investment decision making, the cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis is applied in CDF. It includes the following components: variable cost per unit; level or volume of activity; unit selling prices; total fixed costs; and sales mix. All these components are to be analyzed in order to get the following information for further decision making: constant sales price; constant sales mix; constant variable cost per unit; constant total fixed cost; units sold equal units produced (Drury 20)
The process of decision making starts from problem defining and its evaluation. In the case of investment decisions, this step is extremely important because all the following stages are based on this decision (Monahan 112). In the case of incorrect problem evaluation, the impacts of the problem in regard to the investment decisions may lead to the material losses. In order to prevent such an outcome, the managers define the problem independently from its symptoms (Drake 188).
Finally, while relying to the CSS (clinical support systems), which is used as the part of the DF activity monitoring (the healthcare providing process assessment), it is important to put an emphasis on the fact that the core purpose of such systems is achieving the strong and visible clinical leadership, which has the clear authority. It is essential for ensuring that the patients care is improved and sustained. To my opinion, the Clinical Service Managers should support the General Managers in the terms of services delivery.
That is why in order to win the competition and to be the partner of CDF, the clinic should provide the high quality services to its patients (children). These services should be well-managed, that is why the investment into the CSS is an important aspect of the healthcare organization activity fir the clinics, which collaborated with CDF.
Vertical Integration of Different Levels of Logistic System in the CDF
Finally, The core advantage of the vertical integration of different levels of logistic system in the CDF involves creating the maximum value in the process of cooperation with supporters and children (clients).
The virtual integration provides the fund with the possibility of getting a tightly coordinated supply chain as a result. Such technological achievements of the 21st century as virtual organizations have made their contribution to the style of the managers and engineers working process. Now, the modern managers and professional staff cannot be considered as the lone custodians of the corporate culture and information (White and Griffith 115).
In order to reach the vertical integration between different entities in the scope of the supply chain, the real-time automatization of the organizational processes, which take place inside the organization, is being required (Boalow, 212).
During the last 10-15 years, the latest technological achievements such as e-mail, voice mail, or fax have been widely applied by different organizations, and by CDF, in particular. Such approach towards communication between different entities or between different departments of the entire organization may cause some delays in delivery. That is why such practices should be monitored in order to ensure cooperation, timely delivery, etc. (Beynon-Davies, 45)
The supply chain integrated model of CDF mainly focuses on the trust and respectful attitude towards all members of the supply chain. In addition, the inherent features of the integrated supply chain of CDF are the constant improvement of labor conditions for the staff while implementing some training seminars, joint improvement projects, and workshops into the daily manufacturing routine of the corporation. The meetings with the top management of any organization are usually organized with an aim of system improvement, practical implementation of innovative processes etc.
Analysis of the Organizations Internal Environment Including Its Culture, Structure, Types of Resources, and Different Functional Level Strategies that Are Currently Used by CDF
In CDF, organizational culture is constellation of organizational values, which are introduced in organizational mission, its structure, strategy and personnel policy.
Every employee of CDF feels the existence of corporate culture and its impact: it influences the ability to work, the wish to work and the quality of work. To my opinion the key success factor of CDF is the symbiosis of the working strategy and organizational culture. It helps the organization to be worthy of respect, to be recognized as reliable one.
Organizational culture plays significant role the image of CDF and its reputation creation. OC in the CDF is represented in different issues- beginning from the employees uniform or style or dressing, furniture in the office and including the way of communication and acting with the clients, colleagues and partners.
There are the following types of the organizational culture: baseball team culture; fortress culture; club culture and academy culture. In the CDF, there is a combination of academy culture and baseball team culture: all employees are high qualified and provided with an opportunity to develop their professional skills in the organization. Employees are willing to work for this organization and to build their career.
CDF organizational culture can be described and evaluated the following way: including the main principles of the Company work, its employees behavior and their professional skills, Companys working methods and its values. There are six intertwined elements of the CDF work organization:
Making review and supporting the reform process in organizations: in order to make functional and service analysis;
Organizing institutional arrangements for innovation process integrated research. It includes the designing of new arrangements, using integration workshops; finding out alternative measures in order to have additional options and the facilities.
Management system changing research – for the organizational system development. It includes carrying out several researches inside of the company- team working, subordination; corporative climate inside of the working groups, compliance with business ethics norms in all aspects of the CDF activity (manner of communication with the clients, between personnel, manner of dressing in the office, exterior view of the office etc.). Management system changing facilitates the planning process, interaction between management of all levels. Also it coordinates the training programs and coaching for the employees, develops the staff competence and generally it improves the corporative climate and corporative culture in whole.
Social Impact of the CDF
The role of this organization for the social life of American people may be represented through the following:
Applying the full funding of quality childcare, Early Head Start, and Head Start to the preparation of every child for the school. Also, this organization involves the new investments in the universal preschool education programs;
Reducing the poverty level among the children from the low-income families;
Ensuring the availability of the health insurance among such families;
The food programs, tax credits, living wages and family supports practical implementation and expansion for the hunger problem managing among the children;
Providing the children with the summer programs of high quality, directed for their educational level improvement, for providing the children with an option of working and of staying safe during the timeframe of summer vacations;
Ensuring the availability of the affordable housing for every child;
Protecting children from the abusive behavior and other types of their rights and ensuring that these children get the needed care from the adults (parents in particular);
Ensuring that the welfare of families is enough for the childcare, healthcare, training and education (Children’s Defense Fund official web site 1).